LightSquared Inc., a 4G LTE communications network, is very close to a deal that could put up to $20 billion in the bank for Sprint Nextel over the next 15 years. According to two anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg, the agreement would give LightSquared the ability to expand faster while letting both companies share costs in regards to network build-out.

Sprint would receive as much as $2 billion annually from LightSquared in the first stages of the contract to help pay for the network equipment and construction costs, said one of the people. Payments thereafter would vary annually based on the number of users on the LightSquared network and usage patterns, said the person. The full value of the contract will depend on those payments.

AT&T was noticeably silent about its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile during the CTIA Wireless 2011 tradeshow last week, but on Wednesday the company’s CEO, Randall L. Stephenson, took some time to discuss potential public benefits of the purchase. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, Stephenson argued that by purchasing T-Mobile, AT&T will increase capacity by 30% immediately while simultaneously increasing network reliability. AT&T predicts that network traffic could grow 5-8 times from where it is today over the next 5 years, and that kind of growth would require more spectrum capacity than is currently available. According to PCMag, Stephenson also said that the purchase would allow AT&T to cover 95% of the United States with a 4G network. When asked whether the purchase would create a AT&T/Verizon Wireless duopoly, Stephenson pointed to major markets where there are often five or more carriers to choose from, such as New York. That doesn’t include wholesale retailers such as Clearwire or LightSquared, both of which have signed on to sell Best Buy Connect branded 4G networks. Similarly, Stephenson stated that in Detroit, San Francisco, and in Miami, among other places, T-Mobile isn’t considered the No. 4 carrier. That kind of competition, Stephenson believes, will push prices down for consumers. Stephenson admitted that the acquisition could result in some job losses as the two companies integrate, but believes that the end result will be a “net job grower.” More →